


Written in the Stars

by Bijou_27



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-10-31 18:32:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17854907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bijou_27/pseuds/Bijou_27
Summary: Selene is an American student studying in London in 1974. She's landed herself a job as a sound engineer at The Rainbow, and when Freddie asks her to join them on tour as their permanent sound engineer, she can't help but begin to catch the eye of their curly-haired guitarist...(Also posted on Tumblr under @missqueeniewrites)





	1. Chapter 1

College life wasn’t easy. Especially for a student studying abroad from the States. London in the seventies was vibrant and full of life. And cold. Very, very cold. Being from the warmer desert state of Arizona, the heat was one thing Selene missed dearly. There were countless others, but as of now the heat was all she could focus on as she ran through the parking lot amidst a downpour of rain. She finally made her way into the theatre, the Rainbow to be exact. After presenting her impressive record as a student of music, she had gladly accepted a job as a stage hand. She got to see the shows for free and was trusted to know what she was doing when it came to sound, despite what others may think...

“Selene, Jesus Christ you’re finally here. Took you long enough,” came a snide remark from her coworker. She was silent, pretending not to hear him. “Too busy doing your make-up to impress the band?”

“I wasn’t even aware of who was coming tonight Thomas,” Selene rolled her eyes.

“Of course, you wouldn’t. Besides, the only women who like Queen are the ones trying to get into their pants.”

 _Did he just say Queen?_ That couldn’t be, it was the 18th wasn’t it? Selene looked over to the wall with the venue’s scheduled performers. Sure enough, it was the 19th. Queen was scheduled to perform the next two days. Immediately Selene tuned out Thomas and all other background noise. All she could focus on was the fact one of the hottest bands in London was performing at her theatre that night and she looked like a wet dog. This just wouldn’t do.

“Just where are you going?” Thomas asked as Selene made a beeline for the dressing rooms.

“I’m setting up the dressing rooms, like I always do! Why don’t you go get the curtains ready or do some heavy lifting? You know, unless you’re not man enough,” Selene quipped, knowing this would push Thomas’ buttons.

“I am too man enough! This theatre wouldn’t be running if it weren’t for me!” he called back at her. Selene couldn’t care less about Thomas and his masculinity issues at the moment. She needed a blow-drier stat.

“Now where did I...ah-ha!” She triumphantly held up the device she needed. It was surprisingly in the men’s dressing rooms (rock stars needed their perfect hair too!) Luckily there was always makeup lying around as well. After drying her hair, she began to reapply her eyeliner when she heard someone enter the room in a huff.

“Thomas, I swear to God-”

“I’m not sure who Thomas is or what he’s done to incite the wrath of God, but would you mind giving me a hand, darling?” came a soft drawl from behind her. Selene turned to find a man with long black hair behind her, lugging in band equipment.

“O-of course I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t mean to impose at all,” Selene stuttered, immediately embarrassed at the fact she had been using the band’s dressing room for herself.

“Don’t worry dear, if you let me borrow some of that liner we’ll be even,” the man grinned. “I’m Freddie,” he reached an outstretched hand to her. His nails were painted black.

“Selene. Call me Selene,” Selene took it eagerly.

“Now tell me, what exactly is an American doing in little old London-town?” Freddie made small conversation as Selene helped with the heavy equipment.

“I’m studying abroad,” Selene grunted, pushing a large box into the room.

“How fascinating, why not go somewhere like Africa, or Brazil?” Freddie inquired.

“I didn’t study another language unfortunately,” Selene smiled sheepishly, earning a small chuckle from Freddie.

“Well Selene, have you ever had proper London cuisine?” Freddie asked with a glint in his eye.

“I just look for anything edible at the moment,” Selene shrugged.

“Perfect, after soundcheck you’ll accompany me. I know the perfect place down the street from here,” Freddie grinned.

“I’d love to,” Selene grinned at his request. After Freddie let her go, she made her way down the hall. She noticed three other men making their way towards her and she could only assume they were the three missing members of the band. She passed by quickly, only making eye contact with the tall one who gave her a small but warm smile in return. Her heart fluttered.

 _Get ahold of yourself. Stop acting like a teenage girl you are WORKING for them._ Selene mentally scolded herself.

“Do you even know who you just passed by?” came a shrill whisper from her left. Thomas was giving Selene an incredulous look. “You should have greeted them!”

“They just got here and probably don’t want to be bothered,” Selene retaliated. “They’re just people you know.”

“Just people?! You really just insulted the mother of all rock bands,” Thomas continued to follow her to the stage to set up. “American’s have no sense of respect.”

“Thomas! I thought I told you to plug in these amps!” came the voice of the stage manager.

“On it!” Thomas yelled before running to the other side of the stage. Selene was grateful for her small break from annoyance.

“A bit of a character, isn’t he?” came a smooth voice from behind. Selene turned to see the tall man from before now with a guitar slung around his neck.

“Yeah Thomas can be a bit...I can’t even think of a word to give him,” she gave a half smile.

“I could think of a few for you,” the guitarist grinned.

“Well when you do let me know, I’d love to expand my vocabulary,” she returned the smile.

“Brian!” came Freddie’s light tone. “You’ve met my new friend Selene,” he smiled and put an arm around her shoulder. “She’s from America you know!”

“So that explains the accent,” Brian raised his brows.

“I’ve invited her to eat with us after soundcheck, she’s going to tell us all the lovely things Americans do,” Freddie teased, tapping his index finger lightly to Selene’s nose. She was beginning to grow rather fond of Freddie’s enthusiasm.

“Oh, lovely,” Brian smiled and began tuning his guitar.

“So, you’re from America?” the blonde walked up to the pair next.

“Yes sir,” Selene grinned, she was enjoying her fifteen minutes of fame.

“Ever been to a nude beach?” he smirked. “It is Europe after all.”

“Roger get out of here with your nonsense. If I had half a mind, I'd slug you,” Freddie waved off his giggling friend. “Don’t worry about Roger Selene, his bark is by far much worse than his bite.”

“And who’s the last one over there,” Selene nodded her head to the bassist who was warming up.

“That’s Deacy. He’s a bit shy but don’t fret. I’m sure he’ll warm up around dinner time,” Freddie smiled. Selene couldn’t be happier than she was at the moment seeing Freddie’s smile.

“Well if you’re done hanging all over the band you have a job to do,” Thomas came scurrying towards the two of them.

_Moment ruined._

“Excuse me but you’ve just interrupted my conversation,” Freddie gave him a rather pointed look.

“I apologize profusely Mr. Mercury. I just didn’t want Selene here boring any of you,” Thomas spoke quickly and nervously. Selene could have sworn he was sweating as well.

“Hm, and just who are you?” Freddie asked, somehow staring down at Thomas though he was slightly shorter.

“Thomas Smith at your service Mr. Mercury!”

“Well Thomas,” Freddie ventured dangerously close to Thomas. “I want a bubbly drink-no _sparkling_ drink and I would like it in my dressing room in exactly forty-eight seconds starting NOW!” Freddie snapped and Thomas went running down the corridor to the dressing rooms.

“That was amazing,” Selene was covering the wide smile she that had spread across his face.

“Oh darling, I’m going to give him _hell_ ,” Freddie gave a devilish grin, “Now would you be a dear and help us with the sound?”

Selene nodded and practically skipped to the sound booth. She was definitely going to enjoy these next two days.

“Alright boys,” Selene spoke into the PA system. “Just play a couple songs, one with Freddie just on vocals and another with him at the piano would be perfect. Feel free to let us know if any other instruments need to be checked.”

The boys nodded and after a small debate began playing. Selene lowered and raised the levels to the boys’ requests. Selene was blown away. Even in soundcheck there was something electric about this band and their sound. A small smile played on Selene’s lips as she noticed Freddie sending Thomas on several tasks in between songs.

“Would you mind turning me up a bit love?” came the soft voice of Brian.

“Of course, give me a solo or something so I can check your levels,” Selene spoke and the guitarist nodded. After adjusting him, she let him play a bit longer than he needed to, admiring the way his long fingers moved gingerly across the neck of the guitar. She held up a hand, sorry she had to interrupt him.

“You all sound flawless, how are the monitors?” Selene spoke once more into the PA. All four gave a thumbs up.

“I swear you’ve got a magic touch Selene!” Freddie exclaimed. “We’re going to blow the roof off this place!”

“Careful Freddie, you still have to play here tomorrow as well,” Selene smiled, making her way to her eccentric friend. She squinted her eyes in confusion when she saw a camera crew setting up on the stage as well.

“What’s that all about?” she nodded to the camera crew.

“We’re releasing a ‘movie’ along with a live album,” Brian grinned, making quotations with his fingers as he said “movie.”

“Yes, yes, we can talk about all that excitement later, I’m famished,” Freddie dramatically draped a hand across his forehead. “Come now Selene,” he linked arms with her. “I promised you a proper English meal, didn’t I?”

“Why yes you did,” she grinned, following Freddie with the rest of the band in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re not seriously going to finish all of that are you?” Roger stared wide-eyed at Selene’s plate.  

“Course I am, I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Selene gave a laugh. She and the other four members of the band were crammed into a booth, Freddie to her left and Roger to her right.  

“Tell me, how does one drive in America?” Roger asked, poking at his plate of food.

“Try not to crash,” Selene deadpanned. Roger gave a nervous chuckle in response. “I’m joking,” she smiled. “It’s same as here, just backwards.”

“That is most definitely NOT the same as here,” Freddie interjected. “Why would the roads be flipped if the steering wheel is on the left? That makes no sense!”

“Steering wheels are on the right side in America Freddie,” Brian corrected his friend.  

“Americans are all backwards,” came a soft voice from the far side of the table. John was looking at Selene, a bit embarrassed that he’d said that as loud as he did.

“Actually, I agree with you on that one, Deacy,” Selene grinned, earning a laugh from the table. Including John. “Well, as much as I’d love to spend a few more hours here, I believe you have a show to put on boys,” Selene nodded her head to the clock. With that they paid the bill and made their way outside to find the storm was still raging on.  

“Bloody hell! I’m going to get my hair wet!” Freddie shrieked as the five ran to their car.  

“Don’t worry Fred, I’ve got everything you need back in the dressing rooms,” Selene smiled at Freddie, who was still in hysterics.  

“That’s right! You’re going to do our makeup as well!” Freddie cried in delight.  

“Our?” Roger gave Freddie a look.  

“Yes, ‘ _our_ ’ as in if  _you don’t wear any so help me Taylor_ ,” with that Freddie and Roger began to wrestle in the back seat.  

“Children behave,” Brian spoke up from the driver’s seat. Arriving back at the theater, Selene ushered the boys to the dressing rooms where she could only hope they’d keep horse play to a minimum.  

“So,” she stood in front of a seated Freddie. Her makeup supplied were rolled out onto the counter beside them. “What would you like Freddie?”  

“Whatever you put on your eyes I want mine to look like that,” Freddie grinned and gestured to Selene’s face.  

“You have excellent taste,” Selene giggled. “Now stay still or you’re really going to look like a mess.” she painted Freddie’s eyes, turning his head side to side, making sure his wings were even.  

“Freddie you look divine,” Selene smiled as Freddie checked himself in the mirror.  

“I absolutely love it! They won’t be able to take their eyes off me,” Freddie fawned over his new look in the mirror.  

“My turn?” Brian sat in the seat that once occupied Freddie.  

“But of course,” Selene gave a soft smile. “What should I do with you?”

“Nothing as drastic as Freddie,” Brian laughed. “But something to catch their attention.”

“I think I know just the thing,” Selene smiled and grabbed a brush. She swiped a small amount of purple eye shadow onto it.  

“Close your eyes,” she whispered. Brian obeyed and she softly swiped the brush over his eyelids. “Tell me if I’m bothering you,” she murmured.  

“You could never,” Brian spoke softly. Selene blushed at his statement and continued to build up the shadow across his lids. She already felt comfortable around Freddie, but she was nervous at how close she was to Brian. Did her breath smell? Was her chest too close to his face? Would he be able to hear how ridiculously fast her heart was beating?  

_Don’t fall for rockstars. You only like him because he’s in a band._  This was her mental mantra almost the entire time she was placing the powder on his lids.  

“I’m going to put a bit of powder on your face as well,” she commented.  

“Do whatever you like with me,” Brian smiled. She wondered if he knew what he was doing.  

“If I could you’d look like a drag-artist,” she teased, trying to chase her nerves away. She looked down at his hands and noticed his nails were painted white.  

“Are you all fans of nail polish as well?” she asked as she lightly dusted translucent powder onto his face, following the sharp curve of his cheekbones and jawline.  

“It makes people focus on my fingers more while I play,” he smiled.  

“I think I’m done with you, don’t be afraid to tell me if it’s terrible,” she half-joked. Brian stood up and moved his lanky figure to the mirror, inspecting her work.  

“Oh, my it is...” he spoke in a worried tone.  

“It is?” Selene’s eyes widened.  

“It is...terribly good,” he grinned at her through the mirror.  

“I have half a mind to throw you back into the rain,” she rolled her eyes, despite still having a rather wide smile across her face.  

“Well if Brian is done hogging you, I’d like to go next,” Roger interjected, sliding in between Selene and Brian.  

“She’s all yours,” Brian spoke halfheartedly. Selene wondered if there was a tinge of jealousy in his voice or if she’d been making it up in her head. Nevertheless, she added a bit of eyeliner at Roger’s request, responding to his attempts at flirting with her own quips. She didn’t quite mind if Roger saw it as her way of flirting back, but she was internally thankful when Freddie had begun rough-housing with Roger once more.  

“One more?” Selene smiled and looked at John.  

“I’m fine if you’d just powder my face,” he spoke softly, taking his turn in the chair. Selene nodded and began to lightly place powder upon his face.  

“I apologize if I’ve come off as rather cold. I’m not quite as talkative as them,” John nodded to all three boys who were now wrestling, Brian trying to break up the two and Freddie calling Roger out for pulling his hair.  

“Don’t even mention it,” Selene gave John a warm smile, which he returned. There was silence between them as she finished powdering his face. Not an awkward one, but a comfortable silence.  

“Queen, 5 minutes to-Selene!” came a familiar voice that reminded Selene of nails on a chalkboard.  

“Yes Thomas?” She feigned a polite tone towards him.  

“Would you come here a minute?” He returned her fake enthusiasm and she left her new friends as they readied their instruments.  

“Could you stop playing dress up for one minute?! You have a job to do!” He whisper-shouted at her.  

“I am doing my job Thomas they asked me to help them get ready!” she waved her hands in the air as she explained herself to him.  

“I don’t believe you for one minute, and after the boss hears about this you won’t even make it past tonight,” he sneered, turning on his heel and walking down the hall.  

“Are you ready for us darling?” Freddie peeked out of the dressing room.  

“Yes!” she nodded her head and returned her attention to the band. “Follow me please,” She motioned to them with her hand and the boys followed her through the maze of corridors and rushing stage hands.  

“I’ll be in the sound booth, monitoring levels,” she smiled.  

“Thank you so much for all your work,” Freddie smile and pulled her into a hug before letting go.  

“Yes, thank you,” Brian smiled. He awkwardly held out a hand and Selene took it with a grin.  

“It was nothing, I can’t wait to see you all out there!” She waved once more and made her way to the sound board. The crowd was roaring and already antsy to see the band. Suddenly the lights dimmed and the slow beat of a drum echoed through the theater, accompanied by elegant chords from the guitar. The crowd was on fire, and the band seemed to be as well as they rushed out onto the stage.  

“Good evening! How you all feeling?” Freddie called to the frenzied crowd. They responded with screams. It was remarkable that Freddie could speak to them as if he were greeting an old friend, not the slightest inkling of fear could be found in his voice.  

The performance was going smoothly as planned. Selene bobbed her head along to the music until the lights flickered once.  

“Mal?” she called on her radio. “What the hell was that?”  

“I didn’t press anything, I swear,” a voice replied to her.  

“What the…” she searched her mind for an answer until her eyes widened. It was still storming outside wasn’t it?

_“Liar!”_  Freddie sang, suddenly his mic cut out as well as the rest of the band. The lights flickered once more, it was impossible to discern strikes of thunder from the confused crowd.  

“Take over the soundboard, I’m going to check the generator,” Selene spoke to her coworker and made a beeline to the back of the stage.  

Amidst the rioting crowd, Brian made out Selene’s figure and his face immediately lit up. Pointing her out to Freddie, the band gave a cheer as she ran to the aide of the stage.  

“Selene! Get back to-”

“Shove it Thomas,” she called as she raced past him. Making it to the generator, she flipped the switch before hot-footing it back to the soundboard.  

“Hey I’m back! Listen my lovies, we’re back!” Freddie held up his hand and attempted to calm the rowdy crowd. The band immediately started up again and Selene breathed a sigh of relief. Once the concert ended, she made her way backstage where she found a number of interesting people who weren’t there before.  

“Selene!” Freddie called to her. “Our hero of the night!” he slung an arm around her shoulder. “Have a drink with us darling, you truly do deserve it!” she grinned as he handed her a beer.  

“Seriously, they were about to murder us out there,” Brian joined in and patted her back. “You saved all our asses.”  

“Well it’s no wonder she can get around quickly, especially with legs like those,” Roger quipped, earning a swift smack to the back of his head from John.

“I call for a toast to Selene!” Freddie raised his beer, the band followed suit.  

“To Selene!” they cheered, and proceeded to chug their drinks. Selene giggled and waved off their small toast to her, she could feel the heat rushing to her face.

“Will you be here for tomorrow’s show?” Freddie asked her.  

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think about weekly updates? Let me know! Anyways I hope you all enjoy chapter 2!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! It's Tuesday so you know what that means! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Selene ‘s eyes fluttered as she was awoken by the sound of her telephone. She reached her arm over to her nightstand and took a glance at the clock. 6:45 Am.

“Hello?”  

“Good morning sweetie,” a sweet southern-drawl came from the line. “I didn’t wake you, did I? I’m still getting used to the whole time-zone thing.”

“No Auntie it’s fine, it’s still 6 over here,” Selene lazily rolled onto her back and twisted the chord through her fingers.  

“How’s your semester going? Meeting any new friends? Any boys? Have you met any celebrities at that theater job?” her aunt fired off far too many questions for Selene to handle in the early light of the morning.  

“Woah, slow down,” Selene gave a yawn. “I just woke up.”

“I’m sorry sweetheart, it’s just so exciting that you’re over there! How many more weeks until you come home? Darlene and your mom really miss you,” her aunt’s voice softened after the last remark.  

“I miss them too, and I’ll call again later when I’m more woken up,” Selene smiled into the phone.  

“Actually Selene, darlin’ before you go, I’ve got some news for ya,” her aunt’s tone immediately became serious and Selene perched herself on the side of the bed.  

“What’s going on?” She asked in a worried tone.  

“Well, your sister actually paid us a visit the other day…your  _other_ sister,” her aunt hesitated a bit.  

“Oh no,” Selene rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed. “What did she want this time?”  

“Money,” her aunt deadpanned. “What else is new?”  

“So what did you guys tell her?”  

“Well,” her aunt began, “your mom’s a stubborn woman, bless her soul, and tried to talk some sense into her before if became another screaming match. So Jolene left again,” she explained.  

“Any ideas where she went?” Selene asked, rubbing her eyes.  

“No clue, probably back with that deadbeat boyfriend of hers, anyways I just thought I’d keep you up to date with the family gossip. Lord knows what would’ve happened if you were here,” her aunt gave a laugh.  

“I probably would have started swinging…again,” Selene grinned. “She gets under my skin auntie I swear.”  

“She gets under all our skin. Listen pumpkin I’m gonna get going soon, I’ve got a nice date tonight and I plan on getting my hair done before then!” her aunt giggled.  

“And who set you up this time?” Selene asked, resuming a more relaxed position on her bed.  

“Oh, remember Marge from the hair salon? It’s her brother!” Her auntie squealed.  

“You’ve got a date with Marge’s handsome brother?!” Selene shouted.  

“Yes! So say a little prayer for me, I’d love to sit here and chat about him dumplin’ but I have my appointment to get to! You behave yourself now! Call your mom and sis later when you get a chance!” Her aunt smiled into the receiver.  

“Bye aunt Helen,” Selene smiled and placed the phone back onto the hook. She would have liked to have gone back to bed, but seeing as she would have to wake up in 20 minutes regardless, began her morning routine. She grinned as she looked out and saw that it was indeed a sunny day today.  

_...58, 59, 60, 1, 2, 3..._

It took Selene more willpower than expected to not stare at the clock every so often. She was literally counting the minutes until the end of her lecture.  

_Three minutes. Why can’t three minutes pass so easily. Will I be here the rest of my life?_

She let her mind wander, trying to distract herself. It was her last lecture of the day before she would be able to speed off to the theater. She realized she would be going in to work early but she truly didn’t have a care in the world. Finally, the clock reached five o’clock, but to her dismay the professor hadn’t noticed yet.  

_Hurry up old man._ She mentally threw insult after insult until finally the class was dismissed. She nearly skipped as she made her way to the nearest bus stop. The sooner she got there, the sooner she would see the four boys she met the night before. She loved getting to know their characters. Freddie was so charismatic and a delight to be around. Roger was a surprisingly easygoing guy when you got past the flirting. John, she had come to learn, has a silver tongue and the probably the quickest wit in the band for being so shy. And Brian...

Well, Brian had his fluffy mess of hair that sat atop his slender shoulders. He had reminded her a bit of a baby deer walking for the first time on legs that were far too long for the rest of its body, and yet he carried himself with such grace. Selene was almost afraid to touch him due to how fragile he appeared. She continued to daydream until she reached her stop, continuing in her daze as she walked inside the building.  

She smiled to herself, thankful it was only herself and a small handful of stage crew. There wasn’t much to do considering the band played there the night before. Selene made her way once more to the dressing rooms and to her delight, she wasn’t the only one in them.

“Hello,” she greeted Freddie, who was vigorously digging through a bock of fabrics.  

“Selene! I’m so glad I ran into you!” Freddie exclaimed. “Could you be a dear and tell me which one of these looks better on me?”  

“Of course!” she grinned. After an impromptu fashion show courtesy of Freddie, they decided he should wear a black jumpsuit with a very low-cut top that exposed just about all of his chest, finished off with sparkling black gloves with diamonds for claws.  

“That’s going to look great in the film,” Selene remarked. Freddie bit his lip and and was silent for a moment, he seemed like he wanted to tell her something but was unsure.

“Listen darling,” Freddie took her hand into his. “I’m glad I’ve got you to myself at the moment. I’ve recently made a decision, and one thing I’m infamous for is making rash decisions.”

“Should I be worried?” Selene grinned, despite raising her eyebrows a bit at Freddie’s statement.  

“Not at all. But I’ve taken it upon myself to request something of you,” he proclaimed. Selene nodded in silence, urging Freddie to continue.  

“Selene, I’d like to formally ask you to become a part of the Queen’s stage crew,” Freddie squeezed her hands, excitedly awaiting her reply. Selene’s jaw dropped and for a moment she was at a loss for words.  

“I... Freddie why me?”  was the first thing to come out of her mouth.  

“You’re quick on your feet, last night proved that to me. I’ve never been so pleased onstage,” he explained.  

“I would love to...” she began.

“Excellent! I’ll tell the lads!” he clapped his hands together and began to usher her to the door.  

“But I can’t,” she finished. Freddie’s merriment immediately dies down and he turned to face her.  

“Why’s that?” he asked with a slight pout.  

“Freddie, I’m still in school,” Selene explained, “I don’t want you to think I’m being ungrateful, this actually sounds like a dream come true, but I'm also only here for the rest of the semester. Then I fly back home,” she sighed and looked to the ground.  

“I... hadn’t taken all that into consideration,” Freddie’s shoulders drooped as the realization hit him. “I really am asking you to uproot your entire life, aren’t I? How rude of me,” it was his turn to feel ashamed.

“No Freddie, you weren’t being rude at all. You’ve offered me a great opportunity,” she placed a hand on his shoulder. “And come to think of it...I wouldn’t want to throw it away.” His face lit up at her words.  

“So, what’s the verdict?” he eagerly asked.  

“Give me a week,” she smiled, “and I’ll make some calls and sort some things out. If I have to at least finish out the semester will you have me?” she asked with a hopeful look on her face.  

“You’d probably miss our Japan tour,” he sighed. “But you’d probably be able to join us on the American tour next year!” he clapped his hands once more in delight.  

“Here’s hoping,” she pulled her new friend into a hug, which he gladly returned.

“Tell me one more thing dear,” Freddie requested.  

“Go on,” Selene nodded.  

“What is so far up that awful man’s ass that he is constantly treating you like shit?” Freddie asked, shaking his head in exasperation.  

“Who Thomas?” Selene laughed. “Who knows. All I know is the minute I stared working here he’s made his dislike for Americans and women with competence crystal clear,” she shrugged. “He’s also a huge fanboy of Queen,” she raised her brows.  

“Oh, is he? Perfect! We’ll be sure to give little Thomas a grand time,” Freddie smirked.

*

After the second show that night Selene saw an awful lot more of the crowd of interesting people hanging about. There were camera crew and stage crew, as well as men and women scattered throughout the dressing rooms. Some of them looked like models. She felt a bit under dressed until she reminded herself, she was there because she was working. She thought about diving into the room and taking her chances with the odd characters roaming about, until she realized that the band was probably busy. These were their friends, they were likely nice to her because it’s always important for the band to make friends with the stage crew. Regardless, she needed to remember her place. The one highlight of the night was watching Thomas scramble, seeing how Freddie requested him to be their “personal assistant” for the night.  

_“Move it Selene! I’ve got a very important job tonight,”_  she recalled Thomas exclaiming earlier as the boys sent him on task after task. She smiled to herself and swore she could see him eating his words, as he paraded around the dressing room struggling to hold overflowing trays of food for the guests. Freddie really did put him to work.  

Selene turned away from the crowded room only to bump into a tall mess of curls.  

“I’m sorry,” Brian was quick to apologize.

“Don’t mention it, besides I ran into you,” she grinned. “Why aren’t you in there?” she asked, noticing he wasn’t partaking in the partying.  

“It’s not really my scene, their mostly Fred’s friends anyways. Or Roger’s,” he gave her a knowing smile and nodded his head towards said drummer, who was currently chatting up two young women.  

“I’m sure there’s plenty of women in their just waiting to throw themselves at you, Brian,” Selene teased. A pink tinge colored Brian’s cheeks as he awkwardly laughed.  

“I doubt it,” he spoke with a bashful smile on his face.

“So modest,” Selene joked. A bit of silence passed between them until she gathered a bit of courage she didn’t know was inside her. “Do you want to get some fresh air?” she asks.  

“I’d love that,” he gestured with his arm for her to lead the way. They went up a couple flights of stairs until Selene opened the door to the roof of the theatre. She walked the two of them up to the ledge, where they could just peer over and see the city lights sparkle.  

“There’s not much you can see out there with all the light,” Brian pointed out, looking up at the stars. “It’s quite a shame.”

“What  _can_  you see?” she asked, sitting at the ground by his feet. He lowered himself and sat beside her.  

“Well, for starters you can see some of the bigger constellations. That one over there is-”

“Orion’s belt,” she finished his sentence with a grin. “I used to be able to see all kinds of things back at home.”  

“Really? Where did you live if you don’t mind me asking,” he studied her, placing an elbow on his leg to lean on his hand.  

“Actually, I lived on a farm,” she said with a small laugh. “It was so easy to see the stars.”

“Well in that case,” he laid back onto the cold concrete, “show me what  _you_  can see.”  

Selene smiled and lay herself next to him, pointing out the more common constellations in the sky. Brian noticed something peculiar about her finger as she pointed, and grasped it in his own hand.  

“Something wrong?” she asked, a bit confused by his actions.  

“How did you get this?” he asked as he traced a long curving scar that made its way from the base of her thumb to the tip of her index finger.

“Fishing accident when I was twelve,” she explained. Brian immediately cringed and dropped her hand. She laughed at his reaction and began to tease. “What? Can’t handle a little scar?”  

“Oh, you want to talk about scars eh?” he immediately sat up and began removing his shirt.  

“Brian what the hell-” Selene was caught off guard by his boldness.  

“Earlier this year I was hospitalized, and had to have surgery done,” he pointed to a healed scar over where his liver was. It was Selene’s turn to draw back in disgust.  

“That’s horrible, what on earth for?” she asked, ghosting her hand over the scar.

“I was infected by a dirty needle when we went to get our injections before our American tour,” he explained rather nonchalantly. Selene looked at him with wide eyes, obviously horrified.  

“You could have died!” she exclaimed. “I hope you sued them for malpractice.”

“Bloody doctor disappeared before we could get a lawyer on him,” he shook his head and placed his shirt back on.  

There was a small awkward silence between them. Both of them looking around and fidgeting with their hands.  

_Kiss her you nitwit!_  Brian was mentally screaming at himself, but being the logical thinker that he is, decided to keep his emotions in check. This girl was lovely but she would be leaving back to America by the end of the year, wouldn’t she? It’d be a lost cause, and Brian thought it best not to get his heart broken again.  

“We should head back in, I think the band’s getting ready to leave,” he stood and offered his hand to help her up. She obligingly took it, his hand lingering on hers for longer than he would have liked. Regardless the pair made their way back downstairs, the same awkward silence plaguing them until they returned to the fiasco of guests.  

“Well,” Brian huffed and turned back to her, “I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now,” she smiled. He wondered what she meant by that, but brushed it off as optimism on her end.  

“Well, if we’re ever in town...” Brian began.

“You know where to find me,” she gave him a soft smile as she gently tugged him down by his collar and planted a kiss onto his cheek. She wanted to laugh at his bashfulness; he reminded her of a deer, with his long, slender limbs and the gracefulness he carried with every move he made. Not to mention his expression reminded her of a deer caught in headlights.  

“Goodbye, Brian May,” she whispered and turned to walk down the corridor.  

“What’s your last name?” he called after her, realizing he didn’t know hers.

“I’ll tell you if we meet again!” she called back, and before he knew it, she turned the corner and was out of his sight. He shoulders dropped as he joined the rest of the crew, who had begun to lug their equipment into the buses. So much for not getting his heart broken a second time.  


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late today but here's Chapter 4 nonetheless. tell me what you think!

The rest of the semester seemed to drag on at an excruciatingly slow pace. Before Selene knew it, she was back in the states for winter break, sitting in her kitchen with the radio on.  

“ _She keeps her Moët et Chandon in her pretty cabinet. ‘Let them eat cake’, she says just like Marie Antoinette…_ ” she turned her head at the familiar voice.

She sucked in one more breath before putting on a false front of courage. “Listen mom, Auntie, I’ve actually got great news,” Selene grinned. Both women stopped what they were doing and looked at her.  

“They’ve asked me back for another semester at the University,” Selene smiled, extending her arms in hopes of receiving praise and congratulations from her family.  

“They didn’t tell me anything about that,” he mother looked at her suspiciously. “Besides, weren’t you dying to come home Sel?”  

“Well, they won’t make anything official until I give an answer,” she was lying through her teeth at this point.  

“Well if you’re that good of a student I think it’s a great opportunity,” Helen smiled, obviously supporting her niece.  

“But you what about The Universities here in the states? Aren’t any of these good enough?” her mom tried to make a case for herself. “Plus you’d be so close!”  

“I know mom but, bird’s gotta leave the nest sometime,” Selene shrugged. “Just think about it please?” she pleaded to her frowning mother, who remained silent. Selene sighed and exited the kitchen. Knowing her mother, it’d take a lot more convincing, she had to beg for a month before her mother even entertained the thought of letting her daughter live in another country.

“Oh come on Laura!,” Selene could hear her aunt from down the hall. “She’s pursuing an education! At least she’s not like her sister, running after rockstars!” 

_Gulp._

“I guess you’re right Helen... I just worry. We thought we were on the right path with Jolene and look what happened there,” Selene’s mother sighed.  

Selene silently made her way back to her room, but upon opening her door she found she wasn’t alone.  

“Why are you eavesdropping?” Her younger sister sat on her bed.  

“Why are you eavesdropping?” Selene shot back.  

“You’re not really going back to college, are you?” Darlene smirked, holding a letter in her hands. “Who is he?”  

“No one! There’s no one!” Selene lunged at the letter. Her sister raised her hands higher.  

“Why does this letter say you’re dropping out then?” Darlene pointed out.

Selene shuffled, feeling quite uncomfortable.  

“If I tell you what I’m really doing you can’t say a word. Not until I tell mom and Auntie myself,” Selene shut the door.  

“Spill it,” Darlene grinned, throwing the letter at her sister. The youngest sibling always had a way of getting what they wanted.  

“I was working that job in the theatre when a band came in,” Selene began.

“What band?” Darlene quickly interjected.  

“You’re actually not going to believe me,” Selene grinned. “Anyways after the show they asked me to join their road crew…the tour picks up in the U. S. This year,” Selene smiled. Honestly, she couldn’t help but gush over the experience.  

“ _What band?_ ” Darlene asked once more, a bit impatiently this time.  

“They’re called Queen. Not sure how big they are her-” Darlene immediately squealed and Selene thrust a pillow onto her sisters face.  

“Are you crazy?! Keep it down!” She scolded.  

“I’m sorry! But if this is true I want to go with you!” Darlene giggled.  

“No groupies,” Selene tapped her sister’s nose. “Plus you’re not old enough for them.”

“But I could pass for eighteen,” Darlene giggled.  

“No you can’t,” Selene rolled her eyes. “Look, point is none of this can happen if you don’t keep your mouth shut.”  

“Get me the drummers signature and you’ve got yourself a deal,” Darlene stuck her hand out.  

“Swear to me,” Selene commanded. Darlene took her sisters hand into her own and the two completed a series of complicated hand motions, resulting in their childhood handshake.

The following break went by about as quickly as you can imagine, and Selene was nearly bouncing off the walls the night before she’d take her flight to “London.”  

Smiling to herself, Selene took one last look at her waving family before heading into the airport. Her sister was the only one knew what she was up to, and as a result gave her one last knowing smile. She felt the tingles of excitement in her gut, along with a bit of guilt for lying to her family but that would make up for itself. It had to. This flight wasn’t as taxing as the last one, and as Selene got off the plane she started to realize she had no idea who she’d be looking for. What was the assistant’s name again?  

“Selene?” came a soft voice from behind her. Selene smiled and when she turned her jaw almost dropped. The woman looked like a model. Tall, dirty blonde hair with chocolate brown eyes. “I’m Wendy,” she reached out a hand to her. “You must be Selene! I’m Mr. Beach’s personal assistant.”  

“Nice to meet you,” Selene took her hand, shaking it.  

“If you’ll follow me, Mr. Mercury sent a car for us. We’ll be meeting at the hotel so you can drop off your luggage. After that it’s off to the venue! Oh! And you’ll be rooming with me! It’s so nice having another woman on deck…” Selene smiled and nodded through Wendy’s excited chattering all the way to the car.  

They pulled up to a rather expensive looking hotel and the butterflies returned to Selene’s stomach. Well, they were more like vultures. The whole time there had been a certain guitarist on her mind, whom she was secretly dying to see again. She held her breath when they finally walked in to the lobby where lo and behold stood the band, amongst the crew by piles of equipment.  

“Wendy! You’re back,” an older gentleman greeted her. He stepped back and looked Selene up and down, not in a disgusting way, more like he was trying to figure out if this was really the amazing sound engineer Freddie wouldn’t shut up about.  

“And you are…?” He raised a brow.  

“Selene Moore, newest member of the stage crew,” she stuck out a hand and he politely shook it.  

“Ah yes! You’re the one Freddie mentioned,” he laughed. “Jim Beach, but call me Miami,” he grinned. Him turned his attention back to Wendy, sending her on a couple of tasks.  

Now alone, Selene turned awkwardly to the group of people before her. Properly scanning the room now, she was able to make out Freddie, sitting quietly next to John. She saw Roger chatting with the lady at the front desk, and finally she laid her eyes on her curly haired guitarist. Who had his arm around another woman.  

If you dropped an anvil in Selene’s stomach she was pretty sure that was what this feeling was. She wanted to hop back on the first plane she saw and fly it into the ocean. She wondered if she could leave without anyone noticing.  

“Is that our little Selene?” she heard from across the room at that moment.  

_Lovely._

“Hi Freddie, it’s so good to see you all,” she feigned a smile and returned his overexcited hug. The rest of the band seemed to follow. She greeted each one with a smile until she reached Brian.  

“Selene,” he seemed a bit shocked to see her. “You didn’t tell me you were joining us.”

“It was all Freddie,” she gestured to the lead singer, who was currently waving his arms wildly as he conversed with a crew member.

“Right...” the pair looked at each other with a loss for words until a small cough came from behind Brian.  

“Oh! This is my girlfriend, Cindy,” he was a bit embarrassed to forget about her, considering he was the one who insisted on her joining him.  

“Charmed,” Selene politely shook the woman’s hand. “Well I’ve got to get my luggage sorted, see you two around!” She made a hasty retreat and followed Wendy to their shared room, feeling ready to spontaneously combust at any moment.  

“I didn’t know you knew them so well!” Wendy commented.  

“Yup,” Selene responded with a tight smile.  

After her embarrassing reunion, Selene found herself at the venue along with the rest of the crew. She worked on autopilot as her mind wandered. The only time’s she could feel herself slipping was when her eyes lingered just a bit too long on Brian, analyzing with awe how cool and collected he seemed to be while playing the most complicated riffs.  

“Beautiful isn’t it?”  

“Sorry!” Selene immediately straightened, relaxing when she realized Wendy was at her side.  

“I was just saying how beautiful their music was,” Wendy laughed.  

“Right,” Selene chuckled. “The music.”

“Anyways I came to introduce you to our other sound engineer, Alex. You two will be working very closely,” Wendy smiled, stepping aside to reveal a handsome man with shaggy blonde hair and piercing green eyes.  

“Nice to meet you,” Alex smiled, flashing a set of perfect teeth. “Let’s get to work then, shall we?” Selene nodded. She had to remind herself she was here to work! Why was she even so hung up on Brian? Brian with his stupid curly hair and his ridiculously long legs and his crooked yet cute teethe that glinted when he smiled-

“So, you’ve got a favorite already?” Alex laughed. She hadn’t realized just how obvious her gaze had been, and was frankly quite embarrassed that she’d been caught ogling the guitarist for the second time that day. She sucked in a breath however when she saw his gaze turned towards Cindy. Her chest turned heavy, not unlike the feeling of a stone sinking to the bottom of a lake.  

“No! Just thinking is all,” she sighed.

“It’s fine,” Alex laughed. “Besides, I’ve already got mine,” he sighed and stared in Freddie’s direction.  

“We’d better get this show on the road. Shall we?” Selene smiled.  

Selene soon found out that having a wildly diverse after-party was something Queen was just accustomed to. She saw a familiar scene before her, with unfamiliar faces. She found herself wandering aimlessly for a bit until John appears, silently handing her a drink. She raises it to him before taking a swig.  

“Nice to see a familiar face again,” he smiled, gesturing for her to sit with him.  

“Nice to be back,” she grinned. “Have you four been able to adjust to America at all?”

“It’s only our first show! Cut us some slack,” he giggled. “I will be honest though, I’m not a big fan of this beer,” he cringed at the Budweiser in his hand.  

“Well, if you want an American’s opinion, I prefer Corona anyways,” Selene laughed. The two joked and conversed – much like brother and sister. One too many drinks later and Selene decide she’d let Wendy guide her back to the hotel.  

“Just don’t get too crazy, it’s only night one and we’ve still got a lot of tour,” Wendy giggled. “Stay here, I forgot my bag.” With that Selene was alone in the hall. Or so she thought. She heard voices from down the hall, away from the bustle of party.  

Her legs moved before her brain could tell them not to and she found herself pressing her back against the wall just before it turned.  

“I’m not saying you were all over her Brian but you let her just throw herself at you!” came one shrill voice that Selene didn’t quite recognize. By process of elimination she assumed it belonged to Cindy.  

“Fans are just friendly Cin! We can’t go through this bloody ordeal after every show!” came the voice of an exasperated Brian. Selene leaned just a bit further to make sure she was hearing things properly.  

“I just don’t want to see it Brian! If they think it’s okay to hang around someone else’s boyfriend like that what’s going to stop them from doing more?”  _that was Cindy._

“ME? I mean do you seriously think I’ll sleep with any old floozy that says she likes my hair?”  _oooh good point Brian._

“I don’t have time for this Brian May, I sacrificed too much to come on this tour with you!”  _She sounds pretty pissed._

“Listen love, let’s just call it a night. I’m almost certain there’s plenty of people here who’d like to expose our relationship issues,” he sighed, offering a hand to her.  

“It’s not like there’s any issues to expose,” she huffed, walking away from Brian all together.  

Brian sighed, watching until Cindy was out of sight. He turned the corner and was immediately ran into a very startled and very drunk Selene.  

“How much of that did you hear?” He asked sheepishly.

“Not a whole lot,” she could already feel her ears turning red, obviously embarrassed that she’d been caught. “I should get going,” she kept her eyes to the ground, turning before he could say anything. Brian watched a woman walk away from him for the second time that night. But this time he called out.  

“Wait!” He called to her before she reached the door. “You promised me you’d tell me your last name,” he only needed to take a few strides to close the space between them. She was surprised, yet touched that he remembered such a small detail from the last time.  

“Williams,” she called back to him.  

“I’ll remember,” he smiled. “Goodnight Selene Williams.”

“Goodnight Brian May,” She smiled. Had she not been in her drunken state she would have never dared to give him such a longing look before she left. Maybe it was the alcohol working its magic, but she could have sworn she saw him return it.


	5. Chapter 5

Selene woke with a dizzy head and a sore side. She  couldn ’t remember much but thoughts of Deacy, Brian, and an argument swirled around in her mind, and her name being called over and over again…

“ _ Selene _ !” no, that was real. Wendy was lightly shaking her friend. “Had too much to drink?” She laughed as Selene silently nodded, squinting her eyes. The curtains weren’t even drawn and it was too bright for her. 

“Sorry lady, but we’ve got to get a move on. We leave in an hour,” she explained. Selene yawned and stretched, allowing her brain to catch up with the events of the night before. She cringed thinking about the awkward scenario that played out between her and Brian. Nonetheless she shook her head and packed up her things before heading downstairs to meet with the rest of the crew. 

Surprisingly, she was the  first  one downstairs. Or so she thought. She jumped when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. 

“Easy,” Roger laughed. “Trying to hid e  from someone?” 

“Not at all,” she straightens up. “Where is everybody?”

“Probably still asleep,” he rolls his eyes. “Fred and Bri are on the bus already, not too sure where Deacy’s gone off to. He’s always disappearing,” he laughs. “ Fancy some breakfast?” He grins, flashing his pearly white teeth. 

“Lead the way,” Selene gestured, following Roger through the lobby to the small dining area. 

“Oh, allow me,” he smiles and pulls out her chair, waiting to seat her. 

“Roger Taylor? Acting as a proper gentleman?” She feigns shock, dramatically placing a hand to her  chest. 

“Don’t get used to it,” he quips, s eating  himself across from her. 

“So, what do I need to know about wooing American broads?” Roger wiggles his eyebrows and Selene involuntarily rolls her eyes. 

“First of all, don’t call us broads,” she lightly smacks him with her menu and he cackles. 

“I like you. You can handle a joke,” he grins.

The rest of breakfast was filled with laughs and hysterical stories Roger told about each of his bandmates. 

“Before I forget,” he presses a hand to her arm as they leave the restaurant. “We’re planning a big party at the next hotel. Make sure you’re there.” 

“I’ve got nowhere else to be!” she smirks and begins to walk to the second tour bus carrying the crew and equipment. 

“Oh, and Selene?” Roger calls once more, jogging over to her.

“What now?” she laughs. 

“Quit staring at Brian so much. Cindy  will kill  you!” he cackles as her face turn s  red, ducking as she swings an arm at him.  As he  runs back to the tour bus to protect himself from her wrath, Selene can’t help but smile. She’s grateful that she’s found a friend in Roger. 

Shaking her head ,  she makes her way to the second bus holding the crew and throws herself onto the first empty seat, finally catching up on some well-deserved rest. 

Now, Queen’s performances were truly a spectacle to be seen. No other band’s fans were quite as frenzied as the ones crowing the stage at a Queen show, desperate for the slightest touch of the musicians right out of their grasp. The only other thing rivaling a Queen concert was a Queen party. 

Roger mentioned to Selene that they were going to put the hotel rooms at their next destination to good use. She watches from the lobby as a caravan of strange people make their way to the hotel elevators. She could tell there would definitely be damages tonight. She’d been wrestling with herself since soundcheck over the prospect of showing up. Yes, Roger  _ did _  indeed invite her, but would she really feel welcome? 

She made eye contact with Freddie, who had  one  arm around  his assistant Peter  and a  drink in the other.  He beckoned for Selene to join them as they piled into an already full elevator. She politely smiled and nodded, signaling to him that she’d be there soon. He laughed and smiled to her just as the elevator doors closed. 

Spotting a bar in the lobby, she decided if she was actually going to join them, she’d need a bit of encouragement first. What she didn’t notice was the blonde  vixen  making her way over to her. 

“I’ll have a strawberry  daiquiri  please,” the familiar voice chirped. Selene turned to see Cindy and her heart nearly stopped. She was finally able to get a close look at the woman; she definitely knew how to dress her figure , that’s for sure. She could have sworn that she was a model. Her long blonde hair was curled and fell to perfection along her tanned shoulders. 

“Didn’t see you there,” she gave Selene a sickeningly sweet smile, the kind  Freddie  gives to a reporter when  he  want s  to seem friendlier than  he intend s . 

“I’m pretty easy to miss,” Selene joked, hoping to clear the air. Truth be told, she was intimidated by Cindy, and felt guilty for constantly making eyes at her man. 

“Have you seen Brian? I just can’t find him anywhere,” she stirs the drink in her hand, her dainty fingers swirling the straw around. 

“I can’t say that I have. I’ve been here since he show ended,” Selene takes a swig of her drink to calm her nerves. 

“I hope he hasn’t gone up to party with the boys. They get to o  hectic, honestly they’re a bad influence on him,” Cindy spoke matter-of-factly. Selene  struggled to hide the look of shock on her face . Just who did she think she was? 

“Why do you say that?” She asks the blonde, still trying to seem casual. 

“He’s got a brilliant mind you know. I’m convincing him to go back to school and make something of himself. This may seem glamorous but they’re getting paid peanuts compared to what he could be making, and Brian has the potential to go farther than any of those boys,” Cindy speaks excitedly. This was the first time Selene’s seen her excited and it’s over how much money Brian could be making. An unsettling sickness settled in the bottom of Selene’s stomach, she knew in her gut something was wrong. 

“I know he’s smart, but don’t you think you should support him in his current passion?” Selene can’t help but ask. She’s appalled at Cindy’s intentions. 

“Oh sure, but that’s all it is. Yes it’s his passion, but it’s also a hobby,” she waves her hand, not concerned at all with Selene’s opinion. 

“You mean to say this,” Selene gestures around the hotel, “is just a hobby? They’re on tour in America selling out entire shows and you still think it’s a hobby?” 

“Listen hun, I’ve known Brian much longer than you. He and I have history, and I think I know what’s best for my boyfriend,” Cindy begins to become a bit incensed . “Why do you care so much about what  _ my  _ boyfriend does?” 

“I may not have known him as long but he’s a friend of mine as well,” Selene shoots back. “I just think this is where he belongs is all.” 

“Well,” Cindy stands up and gathers her belongings. “We’ll agree to disagree. Goodnight Serena,” she gives a tight lipped smile and struts away. 

“It’s Selene!” whether Cindy heard her or not, Selene can’t tell as  the blonde  refuses to acknowledge her. 

Shaking her head, Selene downs the rest of the alcohol and makes her way to the elevators. She was invited to a party, and it’s only right she make an appearance. 

*

Making her way down the hall, she looks at the piece of paper Roger slipped her before the show. It contained the floor and room number they were on. Of course they had the largest room. She could faintly hear rock music playing all the way down the hall, no doubt a product of the celebration occurring behind that door. She sucks in a deep breath and hesitates before giving a sharp knock. 

“I told you,” comes a voice from inside, “we a lready turned the music dow -oh! Selene!” Roger grins and pulls her into a hug, ushering her inside. 

“Bloody bellhop told us to keep it down once already,” he rolls his eyes. The room i s  completely shrouded in smoke, there wasn’t a guest in sight without a beer or cigarette. 

“Here,” Roger hands her a beer. “Make yourself at home,” he grins. She gives a half smile and takes a large drink of her beer. 

“Something the matter?” He asks, immediately  noticing her sour mood . 

“Nothing, nothing. Just ran into the wicked witch downstairs is all,” she shakes her head. 

“Cindy?”  h e raises a brow. 

“Incredible, I didn’t even need to mention her name,” Selene laughs. She explains the awkward scene that occurred downstairs before she came up. 

“She’s trying to do WHAT?”  h e laughs loudly. “She’s mad! Brian would never leave!”  Roger ’s nearly howling with laughter, gaining strange looks from a few guests. 

“Would you mind keeping it down you oaf,” Freddie walks over to calm his hysterical friend. 

“Selene! Tell Fred what that witch said!” Roger cries, slinging an arm around Selene. 

“What witch?” Freddie asks wi th an amused expression. 

“Apparently Brian’s hitting the books again, according to Cindy. She thinks he could be doing so much better for himself if he ditched you and went back to university,” Selene explains, immediately taking another sip of her beer. 

“That’s absolute shit and we all know it. I knew I didn’t like her, she never sat well with me,” Freddie turns up his nose as Roger breaks out into another f it  of giggles. 

“How many of these have you had?” Selene asks, taking the drink from his hand. 

“Not enough,” Roger swipes it back and takes another drink. “You need to catch up!” He presses the bottle to her lips and she oblig es  as he pours the drink slowly into her open mouth. 

“That’s enough!” She sputters and pushed his hand away. She can’t help but giggle at the look on his face. H is cheeks are red and the alcohol is currently coursing through his veins.

“Getting well acquainted ,  aren’t we?”  c omes  a  familiar, soft voice from behind Selene. She turns to see Brian leaning against the wall. 

“Oh, so you’ve decided to show up?” Roger snickers. Selene gives him a warning look; no doubt she’d be mortified if Brian learned of her encounter with his girlfriend downstairs. 

“Yeah, Cindy doesn’t want to speak to me and I need a drink,” Brian brushes past the both of them to the fridge. 

“Now’ s  your chance,” Roger whispers. Selene doesn’t have time to react before Roger shoves her into Brian’s back. 

“Sorry!”  s he cries! “I didn’t mean to!” 

“Are you alright?” Brian laughs. “Can you walk?”

“I can walk just fine-” 

“Nonsense,” Brian grabs her arm and leads her through the crowd to the couch with a smile.  He doesn’t notice Roger give Selene a thumbs up as the pass by. 

“You should be careful with Roger,” Brian whispers into her ear. “He’s my best mate, but he’s can be a bit of an asshole when it comes to women.”

“Roger? Oh you don’t have to worry about him, we’re just friends,” Selene laughs, placing a hand on his knee. 

“ _ I _  don’t have to worry?” Brian grins. Selene’s eyes widen a bit as she realizes what she’s just  implied.

“Well, I-I mean-”

“I’m joking, love,” Brian laughs. Selene wants to melt into his arms, she’s never heard a more beautiful sound. 

As the night progresses the amount of drinks consumed is ungodly, therefore the rowdiness escalates. Selene was sure she wouldn’t remember any of it in the morning, but she knew the hangover she ’d  have would definitely be a reminder at least. 

And that it was. When she opened her eyes the next morning, she wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t even  i n her room .  The most alarming discovery however, was that she wasn’t alone. She turned her head to see Brian, who was still out cold. Her eyes shoot open and she looks at the position they’re in. She seems to have fallen asleep on top of him, she could hear his steady breathing and his beating heart pounding against her ear. Or maybe that was her head. Regardless, she gingerly takes herself off of him and stretches. 

She finds the various members of Queen strewn about the  hotel room. She was, however, surprised when she wasn’t the only one awake. 

“Took you long enough,” Freddie grins. 

“To wake up or to make a move on Brian?” Selene raises a brow. 

“Both,” Freddie laughs.  h e gestures for her to follow him to the hotel balcony. 

“What time is it?”  s he  asks , rubbing her eyes. 

“Nine,” he yawns. He offers her the cigarette in his hand and she takes it, taking a small drag and immediately coughing. 

“Come now, it’s only a cigarette!” Freddie  laughs.

“Haven’t had one of th e se since high school,” she smiles bashfully. She begins to make conversation with Freddie until a n alarming  view from below steals her attention. 

“Is…is that a television?” She asks bewildered. 

“You don’t remember? Oh I _  have _  to show you the pictures,” Freddie giggles with delight and yanks her back into the bedroom. Spread all over the bed are various Polaroids from the night before. 

“There’s this…and that was fun…ah! Here it is!” He hands her the picture. In it are  a man  and a woman caught in the act of hurdling the television over the balcony. Upon further inspection, Selene is shock ed  to discover the man and woman are in fact her and Roger. 

“I really can’t   believe I don’t  remember that,” she’s bewildered that such an event was wiped from her memory.  

“Thought you might like this one,” Freddie smirks and hands her another photo. This one captures the moment she and Brian had fallen asleep together on the couch. She immediately snatches the photo out of Freddie’s hand as he gives her a cackle. 

“You keep those a secret, we don’t need  any  evidence  from last night ,” Freddie gives her a mischievous smile. He always seems to have an infectious twinkle in his eye that could make anyone smile.

“Fred,” she looks to the ground, a bit embarrassed at the question she was about to ask. “D id  Brian and I-”

“The two of you just sat laughing together until you passed out,”  he reassured her. “Besides, you two were so  shitfaced  that sex would have been too complicated!” 

With that Selene left with her ears burning red. Thank God He hair was long enough to hide them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you all thought I forgot to post today! Things seem to be heating up between Selene and Brian, I wonder what Cindy will have to say about that...


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning found Queen’s caravan quickly ushered out of the hotel as to avoid any more damages. John Reid and “Miami” Beach were understandably livid. The band themselves got quite the scolding from what Selene  heard . As far as her situation with Brian, it had been left rather unresolved , s ince that morning she hadn’t really gotten a chance to speak with him . Yet  every time she came close ,  she was reminded that it really wasn’t as simple as it seemed. She’d forgotten about Cindy and she’d been wrestling with her  con science  the whole day. 

The gravity of the situation hadn’t really hit her until she and Brian found themselves side by side backstage. She was cleaning some equipment and he happened to be tuning h is  guitar by her. 

“Hey,” she smiles. She’s a bit put off when he simply nods at her before turning his full attention back to the guitar. 

“ Ready to go?” She attempts to make conversation once more. 

“ Mm-hmm ,” he nods, never looking her directly in the eye. Without  anot h er word, h e walks back into the dressing room with the other four boys. 

“Maybe try keeping your hands to yourself?” Paul ’s venomous words prod her from behind. He stands  with his arms  crossed and a smug grin on his face . 

“What do you mean by that?” She places her hands on her hips and raises a brow. She didn’t see him in the morning, how could he have known about her and Brian? 

“What I mean is don’t be stirring up unnecessary drama for us all. Keep your paws to yourself or get your own man,” He sneers at her before turning on his heel to walk into the dressing room.  Selene’s a bit mortified at the fact that Paul knows more than he should have.   There was also an unmistakable mound of guilt that was no doubt building up in her core. Even though he was rude, he still had a point. Brian wasn’t single, and no doubt he was ignoring Selene to keep his actual relationship intact. Shaking her head at herself, sh e walks to the sound booth . 

“Another day at the office,” her coworker Alex smiles to her. She feigns a smile and continues to go through the motions. She’s seen the same show enough times to know when the boys are going to do what now , so she has all the time in the world now to sulk over her dilemma. 

“Something wrong?” Alex asks her. She’s too dazed to hear him and Alex goes back to monitoring the sound levels.

After the show, Selene wants nothing more to return to her hotel room and save whatever dignity she has left. Those plans are thrown to the wind, however, when a Mr. Mercury spots her in the hall and very nearly ambushe s  her. 

“Selene! Darling, just where are you going?  The pa rty’s over here,” he throws an arm around her and begins to pull her towards the limo he’s sharing with John. 

“I think I’d rather go back to the hotel,” she laughs and unhooks his arm. 

“What? Our parties simply aren’t parties without you there love! ” he lightly tugs at her hand. “We’re going to a bar tonight and they have the whole thing cleared just for us,” he hopes the offer sounds tantalizing enough. 

“Freddie-” Selene’s tone suggests she’s going to decline him once more. 

“There’s free alcohol,” he cuts her off before she can finish her sentiment and without another wor d  she gives Freddie a smile and follows him to the limo. 

“Where are the other two?” She asks as she s eat s herself between the bassist and vocalist. 

“They’ve got their own!” John laughs.  The three of them blast loud rock music and head bang a bit, giving themselves a shot of adrenaline before they even reach the bar.  Once they reach their destination they find it’s already full from a pre-approved list of people that the boys had put together themselves. All types of beautiful men and women were intermingling with the road crew. When Queen walked in it was like everyone was greeting royalty.  Selene waited behind while the boys made their grand entrance.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Cindy and immediately turned to hide her face. It was of no use  however, seeing and Cindy sauntered over to Selene herself. 

“Are you on the list?” She asks without even greeting her. 

“List?” Selene is a bit taken aback. 

“I just want to make sure everyone that’s  _ supposed _  to be here is here, that’s all,” she smiles. She’s wearing a sparkly, backless, peach colored dress with a deep cut down the front and ha s on white go-go boots that reach just past her knees . He r blonde hair is feathered out to frame her face and her makeup is artfully applied. 

“We invited her,” a male voice interjects. It’s Roger, and he wraps an a around Selene’s waist. “She’s on the list,” he mocks Cindy’s smile. 

“Oh good! Glad you could make it!” Her voice is dripping with  false sweetness as she makes her way back to Brian. He’s wearing a black pinstriped suit and Selene’s heart nearly jumps out of her chest. They look  fantastic  together. 

“She’s a right bitch sometimes,” Roger speaks under his breath, but just loud enough for Selene to hear. “I’m serious, it’s not going to last between the two of them,” Roger rolls his eyes. “I mean, I love a good shag but I know when to cut ties!” 

“Roger!” Selene playfully smacks his arm. 

“Stop being a swine,”  Freddie chirps  and hands Selene a shot glass. She doesn’t hesitate to swallow it in one gulp. 

“Hard day?” John raises a brow and chuckles as she reacts to the horrid aftertaste. 

“Hard and long,” she grins. “I’m gonna need another one of those.”

“In a  bit ! We want you to remember some of tonight this time!” Freddie laughs at her enthusiasm. 

The lights in the bar itself are dimmed, and loud rock music is being blasted from every speaker. Of course, they throw in a couple of Queen songs here and there every so often. The party doesn’t really get going until someone has the bright idea to get Queen to start playing. After some chanting and convincing, the band decides to get up on the rusty little stage set up in a corner of the bar. They begin with older songs; things that they haven’t played yet on the tour. Roger plays with a cigarette hanging haphazardly from his lips, John ducks down in between each song to take a sip of his drink. Freddie seems to make great use of the tiny space and is still somehow able to frolic and dance as if he’s in a stadium. Selene’s eyes then fall upon Brian, who gives a charming smile every so often, biting his lip when he’s playing a particularly difficult solo. His shirt has been half unbuttoned to expose his bare chest. He’s covered in a sheer coat of sweat . He’s the embodiment of  sex. Her heart almost stops when he sets his gaze upon her. 

“Would you like-oh! I’m  _ so _  sorry,” Cindy had been walking over with a couple of drinks in her hand, no doubt observing the lustful gaze her boyfriend was sending a certain sound tech. She  then  decided  at that moment  she couldn’t walk straight in her heels, and just as she topp l ed over ,  she had dumped both drinks onto Selene. Other crew and bar patrons turned and laughed at the scene. In her embarrassment , Selene  gets up to leave the bar as quickly as she could. 

Brian, witnessing the whole affair, immediately unplug s  his guitar. 

“Show’s over,” he spoke as he walked through the disappointed crowd . The rest of the band was left onstage dumbfounded that their guitarist up and left in the middle of a song. 

“Who needs him?  I know three bloody chords and that’s all we need !” Freddie  makes an attempt to bring attention away from the commotion  and cheers are heard from behind Brian as makes his way into the alley. 

“Selene?” He calls. He walks through the intimidating darkness until he hears a sniffle to his left. There she is, cupping her face in her hands. 

“Are you okay?” he asks softly.  

“What do you care?” She asks him pointedly. He’s a bit taken aback at her bluntness. 

“I just wanted to make sure you’re alright! I saw what happened-” 

“Everyone saw  Brian. Your girlfriend fell over inside, why aren’t you with her?” She crosses her arms. “Everyone else is asking if  _ she’s _  alright!” 

“I know she’s alright, I’m asking  _ you _ ,” he takes a step closer and  gently grabs her arm. In that same moment he uses his free hand to gently lift her chin up so he can take a look at her. Her eyes are puffy and red, and her lips are swollen from crying. H is heart can’t help but crack at the sight of her looking so miserable. Without a second thought he closes the space between them. 

“Brian…?” She whispers.  _ He’s leaning in. Oh God, he’s leaning in.  _

“May! They’re going to riot if you don’t get your  arse  back on stage!” Paul’s voice calls down the alleyway. The pair jumps apart at the sound of his voice and stand awkwardly by each other. 

“I’m going back to the  hotel ,” she speaks first and without giving him a chance to answer she turns on her heel and walks away from him. Brian is torn between going back into the bar or pursuing her. In the end, he knows where his place is, and returns to the bar where he’s greeted with cheers. He knows  in his mind what the right thing to do is,  however there’s a war going on in his heart, and even though it doesn’t show onstage, it’s slowly driving him mad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys asked for angst and this is just the beginning of it! Poor Selene…Brian needs to make up his mind!! I also want to let you all know April is a crazy month for me so I might miss a few updates, but I’ll do the best I can! xoxo


End file.
